Men’s Houston charity fundraiser combines ‘Shark Tank’ with Happy Hour

Screen shot from Youtube.com/KHOU 11's video

A group of Houston men is organizing a charity fundraising effort combining elements of a casual networking “happy hour” with the competitiveness and pressure of the reality show “Shark Tank.”

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The Houston chapter of “100 Men Who Give A Damn” arranges quarterly meetings at the Ibiza Lounge near downtown Houston. The men enjoy a few drinks, network with other professionals and pledge at least $100 toward the group’s fundraising efforts

Presenters from three non-profit agencies deliver their formal pitches to the audience, with each presenter getting five minutes to tout the virtues of their group. Presenters are not allowed to use videos, slide shows or demonstrations.

After the presentations, the men vote on which group gets the pledges.

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The group meets every quarter, with meetings scheduled for February, May, August and November. The Houston chapter’s first meeting was held in November 2016, with a winning presentation from Search Homeless Services.

The winning charities for 2017 included Kids Meals Houston, the anti-human trafficking group The Landing, the non-profit hair care ministry Have Shears Will Travel and the family therapy ministry The Forge for Families.

The first winner in 2018 was FamilyPoint Resources, a charity focusing on child development through teaching ethics, leadership and conflict resolution. The 100 Men event raised more than $6,200 for the charity.

According to their website, the efforts come from “a group of guys who want to make a powerful impact on our community in a short period of time.”

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Since its inception, the group has raised over $58,000 for local charities. 100 Men member Brad Traywick told a local TV station the appeal of the group is “the wide variety of different things you can support with just an hour of your time and a little bit of drinking.”

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